World War II Veteran Honored Through Hospice Ceremony

Friday

Mar 15, 2013 at 11:06 PM

About a dozen relatives gathered Friday to honor Donald Hogan for his military service and his devotion to family.

By KEVIN BOUFFARDTHE LEDGER

WINTER HAVEN | About a dozen relatives gathered Friday to honor Donald Hogan for his military service and his devotion to family.Hogan, 86, of Winter Haven was diagnosed with bone cancer two weeks ago and given less than a month to live, said his sister, Janice Hoben, 77, who took him into her home three years ago."The reason we were so close is that he was so good and I was bad. I was a little squirt," Hoben said of her brother. "I will miss him terribly."Because of his short time left, he was admitted to Wedgewood of Winter Haven, which arranged with Good Shepherd Hospice and the Department of Veterans Affairs for him to receive the Hospice Veterans Partnership Pin. During a brief ceremony at Wedgewood, he received the pin with a certificate honoring him for his service."He was touched when all the family showed up," said Crystal Dye, 30, his niece, also of Winter Haven. "He felt extremely special, he said."Hoben said her brother cried and exclaimed, "This is won­derful."Hogan was born and raised in St. Albans, Vt., and entered the U.S. Army in 1945, the day after his high school graduation, Hoben said. He followed three of his older brothers into the military.Unlike his brothers, Hogan did not see action because World War II ended shortly after he finished basic training, she said.But he always expressed pride in his military service, Hoben said, particularly his job as a tailor altering Army uniforms for disabled veterans before the trip home "so they looked spanking good for their mothers."After working 25 years as a manager for IBM in California, Hogan moved to Winter Haven to be near his sister and other relatives, Hoben and Dye said. He was active in veterans organizations, including the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars."He's just such a sweet, kind-hearted man," said Dye, who added she will always remember Hogan helping her daughter, Katelyn, 5, with math. "There's not too many World War II veterans left, and we felt it was important to honor them."

[ Kevin Bouffard can be reached at kevin.bouffard@theledger.com or at 863-401-6980. Follow Northeast Polk updates on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NEPolkbeat. ]